This invention relates generally to safety razors, and more particularly to razors of the blade type.
Still more specifically, the invention relates to disposable razors which are especially--but not exclusively--suitable as surgical razors.
Whenever human (or, for that matter, animal) surgery is to be performed at or near parts of the body which exhibit a growth of hair, the hair must be removed prior to surgery. This is done to avoid interference with the execution of surgery and also for hygienic reasons. Electric shavers are not suitable for this purpose, for a variety of reasons known to those conversant with the art. Straight razors can be used, but require extraordinary care in use and are rather expensive to purchase as well as to maintain (they must be sharpened and sterilized between users).
For these reasons it has been proposed to use safety razors, i.e. razors using a disposable double-edged blade which is so guarded that in the event of careless handling it might nick the patient (or the attendant) but can cause no real injury. However, even these razors are relatively expensive and although the blade can be disposed of after each use, the razor itself must still be sterilized every time. The answer, therefore, appeared to be a disposable razor, of which several types are known. The problem with these, however, is that they are needed in such huge quantities that cost calculations must be extremely stringent and economies in terms of cents or even fractions of cents are very meaningful.
In this connection it has been a problem that heretofore it has not been possible to use single-edged blades in their simplest form, i.e. a strip of metal having a sharp cutting edge with the opposite edge left unworked. To be able to properly mount these blades in the body of the disposable razor it has until now been necessary to embrace the opposite edge with a U-shaped metal channel which is secured to the blade by upsetting, clamping or in similar manner. Given the large number of such razors which are used per annum, the need for this type of blade makes manufacturing economies a decided necessity.
Another problem inherent in the prior-art razors of the kind under discussion, is that the blade guard cannot be removed. Some users, however, prefer to use the razor without a blade guard, partly as a matter of preference and partly because some types of hair--and hair on some parts of the body--cannot be properly shaved off with the blade guard in place. In this respect, also, further improvements are desirable.